The 5 biggest health benefits of pickleball for older adults

The Kitchen Team

Covering all things pickleball

Last Edited

Sep 22 2025

Heart health

Sandra Webber, a professor in physical therapy at the University of Manitoba who studies pickleball, published a study in 2022 in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity that tracked heart rate and steps in older adults while playing pickleball.

Players were an average of 62 years old and played for up to 2 hours at a time.

Those who played singles averaged 3,322 steps per hour, and doubles players averaged 2,791 steps. Average heart rates for both were 111 beats per minute, and heart rates were in the moderate to rigorous intensity zone for more than 70% of the play session in both singles and doubles.

Singles players had higher steps per hour simply because there is more movement required.

Webber's study found that older adults would need to play pickleball for four and a half hours per week to meet the standard physical activity recommendation of exercising at least 150 minutes at moderate intensity per week. Hitting that physical activity threshold is easier for pickleball players because the sport is so engaging, Webber said.

That makes it a great activity for improving the strength of the heart and respiratory system, which can help prevent heart disease, the AARP said.

Muscle building

Anybody who has played pickleball knows how much squatting, shuffling and running can be involved. That hits all of the major muscle groups in the legs -- calves, hamstrings, quads and glutes -- while swinging the paddle also activates the core and arms.

It's a full-body workout that builds muscle all over, which is critical as we age to maintain muscle mass, prevent muscle loss, improve mobility and boost longevity.

Bone health

Webber says she suspects another study she is currently conducting will likely show that pickleball also benefits bone health.

Researchers want to see if the jumping and changing direction that is often involved in pickleball provide enough of an impact to meet recommendations for optimal bone health -- because weight-bearing impact can help keep bones healthy.

For example, walking up a set of stairs is better for your bones than an activity like biking, where you’re not putting weight on the bones.

“We don't have the final results on that yet, but it's looking very encouraging,” Webber said.

Balance, eye-hand coordination and cognitive function

Staying active is beneficial in general for brain health. A 2021 study that assessed effects of playing pickleball on 21 men and women between the ages of 50 to 75 found that the sport boosted cognitive function.

Playing the game regularly can also improve the vestibular system, which impacts balance and is critical to prevent falls in a population at a higher risk for them.

Dr. J. Mica Guzman, Jr., an assistant professor of surgery and perioperative care at The University of Texas at Austin, also points out that playing pickleball enhances hand-eye coordination and works proprioception, which is your sense of space.

“It's all integrated, and so this is fantastic for getting that entire system coordinated and for refining it,” Guzman said.

This can help people with the sport, but in other activities, too.

"Lots of benefits outside of the court as well,” Guzman said.

So even though there have been a lot of news stories about how pickleball has led to an increase in injuries, it can also help prevent them by strengthening muscles and preventing falls for older people.

There's also a lot of learning involved at every level of pickleball.

"There’s so many different shots to learn and progress your game,” says Webber. "Once you get beyond the beginner level, there’s a lot of strategy involved — that’s mentally engaging for people."

Mood and mental health

Playing pickleball is “fantastically great for social engagement,” which is so important as people age, Guzman says.

Specifically, the social aspects of pickleball can help with anxiety, stress and depression, research shows. This aligns with other research that shows staying physically active is linked to better mental health in older adults.

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